irnest Christian
do, who's a bloomin' all over with religion, and looks upon the piety of
the public as the apple of his eye? He'd take his pinknife, jist so, and
shlip the blade under the saylin'-wax, jist so, and pacify his
conscience like by raydin' the letther."

Having convinced himself that the operation, viewed in a purely
religious light, was strictly mercantile, TEDDY snuffed the candle with
his thumb and forefinger, and spread the letter on the table.

It ran thus:--

"HALF-WAY HOUSE, June 30th--Evening.

"JEFFRY MAULBOY:--You have gone back on your word, and made a desperate
woman of me. I'll do all I threatened, and more. I have just written to
Mrs. CUPID, and kept back _nothing_. If you ain't here by day after
to-morrow, ready to marry me, _as you agreed to_, I'll send the letter,
and go to her besides. Do as you please. I don't care for _my_ future,
if you don't for _yours_. Trust the bearer.

"ANN BRUMMET."

TEDDY read it twice. Then he held up his hands, lost in admiration.

"Married to one man, and a goin' for another afore the ceremony is cold!
What talints! What nupchility! Oh, what an illegant Mormyn is bein'
wastid in this very house! If ye could grow a daughter like _that_,
TEDDY me boy, she'd sit ye up for life." He shook his head, sighed
heavily, and gazed wistfully at the letter.

"I couldn't look poshterity in the face," he continued, with a
self-accusing air, "without a copy of that letther."

He went and got writing materials with evident reluctance, and after
three or four trials, succeeded in producing a very good duplicate of
ANN'S letter, bearing himself, throughout, like a man who sees his duty
plainly before him, and does it without flinching.

He put the duplicate in the envelope, sealed it carefully, put the
original in his pocket, and in ten minutes was abed and asleep.

(To be continued.)

* * * * *

PUNCHINELLO'S PLAN FOR THE PREVENTION AND DETECTION OF CRIME.

In view of the amount of crime which the detective police is apparently
unable to trace to its authors, and the number of criminals who
constantly elude arrest, Mr. PUNCHINELLO begs to submit an entirely new
and original plan for the prevention and detection of crime, which he
hopes will receive the favorable consideration of the powers that be.

In the first place, he would recommend that all Jail Birds be
immediately transported to the Canary Islands.

_Second._ The entire